posted November 23, 2002 03:50 PM            

This board game is designed to represent/simulate a manufacturing environment in the beer industry. The game simulates processes for 4 different facilities, including: ordering, distribution, wholesale and retail management. 2 people are assigned to manage each function of the beer manufacturing process. The main objective of this board game is to teach students and managers the importance and necessity of acquiring strategic, operational and manufacturing skills. Additionally, the application of these skills to the business environment is emphasized. This board game (with its grand process oriented playing tactics) is known as the “flight simulator” of management education. (John D. Sterman, Sloan School of Management)

The Oh No! Game

The main objective of this simulation game is to teach and improve upon the planning process in any organization. The game utilizes a standard deck of UNO cards and places individuals in different categories: the client, the donor and four department heads. Each person must work together to increase future earnings for the company. Four main topics include:
Planning context: how to plan effectively in your particular environment/industry.

Planning process: what is the best method for product, service or manufacturing planning, necessary to please the customer.

Planning content: what ideas can be generated to most efficiently carry out future plans.

Planning for the customer: teaches teams how to work together, rather than against one another (ie: competing departments) to generate the best plans and ideas to enhance customer satisfaction and repeat business.

Human Resource Management Simulation Game

This is a simulation game that is designed for management students and HR trainees. Teams consist of 5 individuals who are responsible for restructuring an “out-of-control” HR department responsible for 600 employees. The team will design new department objectives and long-term strategies for departmental improvements. Some of the main topics included are:

Turnover
Morale
Productivity
Production Costs including overtime
Relative product quality
Local and industry wage rates
Local and industry fringe benefits
Grievances
Absenteeism
Accident Rates

Star Power

This simulation game is designed to show how power in society and the workplace can be used effectively or abused. Specifically designed for management and cultural diversity training. Teams of individuals start by progressing from one level of society to the next. Eventually, the wealthiest groups gain power. This group ultimately attempts to protect its power through illegitimate means and the different levels of society begin to display communication barriers and emotional strain.

posted November 25, 2002 01:55 PM            

Developed by Graham Kelly who is the Head of the Department of Management at the University of Central Lancashire. He has 24 years’ experience of management education and development, working with managers and organizations from a wide range of industries.

These interactive web programs aim to capture something of this management adventure, an adventure in decision-making. They aim to give you, the ‘management adventurer’, the opportunity to assess situations, evaluate options and their associated risks, and then make that decision. And all in the comparative safety of your office or home, seated at your computer. You will have the chance to adventure through a variety of management jungles, making decisions as you work your way along the various paths that open up for you. At each stage along the way, you’ll be put on the spot to explain your actions ... to test yourself as a management adventurer! Are you sharp enough to cope with these tricky scenarios? Can you analyze and understand the situations in which you find yourself? Can you evaluate the options facing you and assess the likely consequences and risks involved? Can you take decisions and live with the consequences? In other words, are you up to the challenge of the management adventure?

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B&B Enterprises Management Simulator http://www.forio.com/bandb.htm

Developed by Prof. John Sterman of the MIT Sloan School of Management, this simulation illustrates how capacity overshoot and price wars can occur due to misperceptions in feedback of competitive growth markets.

Players take the role of top management of B & B Enterprises; a fictitious firm based on a variety of real cases. The game begins as a new product is launched. Players are responsible for marketing, pricing, and capacity expansion decisions to maximize their cumulative profit over the next 40 quarters. The potential market is large, but as in real life key attributes of the market, including its size and price elasticity, consumer responsiveness to word of mouth, repurchase behavior, and other customer attributes, are unknown. The player also faces a simulated competitor whose pricing, marketing, and capacity expansion strategies are likewise unknown. The game illustrates fundamental principles of corporate strategy including the learning curve, time delays in capacity expansion, competitive dynamics, and market saturation.

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Dividing Grandma's Things http://www.negotiatorpro.com/frgati.html

A free download from Negotiator Pro to help train in negotiation techniques. In this game eight contentious heirs are forced to agree to divide all of the ten most valuable pieces of her estate if they want anything at all. Her prized possessions range from two valuable houses, a classic 1957 Thunderbird to her beloved golden retriever and her despised cat that almost nobody wants. This game is an enjoyable way to help families think about how they would like to distribute an older member's things. The players include Grandma's three adult children, her two adult siblings, her two teenage grand children and her life-long best friend.

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Free Training Games http://web10.eppg.com/training/toolchest/games.html

McGraw Hill provided a list of FREE, 100% reproducible games -- complete with objectives, step-by-step procedures, materials and time required. Topics include Change, Climate Setting, Communication/Interpersonal Skills, Conflict Resolution, Creativity & Problem Solving, Customer Service, Leadership & Management, Presentations, Reinforcing Learning, Rewards & Recognition, Sales, Session Energizers, Session Openers, and Team Building.

posted November 25, 2002 08:28 PM         

Students manage a distribution business in a highly visual simulation. The activities (lessons) let students learn one concept at a time. The modular design complements, current curriculum which is typically used 10-25 class periods during a semester. Students can either work in teams or individually. There are 4 subject areas and 19 lessons. The subject areas are: Introduction to Business, Information Technology, International Business and Management. Some of the lessons include basic staffing, e-commerce, country selection and employee evaluation. The simulation is intended to cover the total aspect of a business from start to finish. This type of simulation allows the learner to see how their decisions affect all aspects of their business. This simulation is designed for an introduction to the inner workings of a business.

http://www.onlinelearning.co.za/techno_tools/techno_tools.htm
This simulation provides accurate 3-D modelling and animation that can simulate most process, engineering and equipment training programmes.
Learners complete exercises by dragging items across the screen and inserting the items into position, or by clicking buttons on-screen.
This company has also created a phone system tutorial that lets learners use a 3D model of a phone. Placing a conference call is as simple as clicking a mouse. E-Learning can augment or even replace live classroom training. For example, a computerised 3D cross-section view of a compressor can be a good learning tool. This firm is preparing programs featuring 3D images of heating, ventilating and air conditioning equipment, as well as electronic equipment in which learners place circuit boards and other components. This type of simulation can be more cost effective than the live version because live demonstrations mean shipping equipment to training rooms. New technologies like 3D should be welcomed. But just because they are visually impressive, does not mean that they have widespread applications. This type of training works best for teaching people to work with equipment.

http://www.strategicinteractions.com/pages/events_ibs.html
Strategic Interactions, Inc. designed and implemented an effective, exciting model of training that involves acting out interactive strategies in a highly realistic simulated environment known as Interactive Behavioral Simulations®. Interactive Behavioral Simulations® are similar to interactive videos, but because they are presented live, participants can experience more of the physiological and emotional elements that are presented in everyday encounters with people. The Interactive Behavioral Simulations® model is best implemented in groups of less than twenty although it has been successful in larger groups. The interactivity of Interactive Behavioral Simulations® empowers the participants to share their own expertise, ask questions and participate in creating effective strategies.

http://www.tcm.com/trdev/t2.html
This site contains 347 topics which provide links in a number of areas such as diversity, business owners toolkit, training icebreakers and training games. This provides a huge training resource hub. Learners can choose the topics they are interested in and view the site at their own pace. Some of the sites offer simulations, other are informational in nature. The site also provides links to web based education and e-learning. This site is best utilized for learners who may prefer to learn in a non-group environment.

Diana

[This message has been edited by divalat (edited November 25, 2002).]

posted November 26, 2002 09:02 AM            

Lavamind’s Gazillionaire
Gazillionaire is a cross between Monopoly set in outer space and Wall Street in wonderland. It's a wild, intergalactic game of business strategy. Sophisticated real-world economic tools help you determine where supply meets demand as you race to build your trade empire. Six people can play at a time on the same computer or by email over the Internet. The first company to reach a net worth of a billion kubars wins!

This game uses a playful, far-out approach to teach participants about marketing, distribution and the threats and opportunities posed by others. So much like just a game, it’s almost surprising it’s a tutorial. I imagine that it would very easy to find employees ‘willing’ to play along. Download the Shareware version and check out the Gazillionaire characters that are out of this world.

Elitetraining is one many examples of outdoor adventure training facilities that offers fun, competitive activities which are designed to increase team building, self development and innovative thinking in organizations. Trust in one’s peers could also be a learning objective, though it isn’t mentioned. Climbing, swinging, target practice and sailing are just some of the activities offered. Training and recreation may become blurred. This is probably a good thing. Another example of outdoor adventure training is Outdoorchallenge which offers similar objectives, but creates a training event at various sites to suit their customers needs.

Northgate Training offers an awesome catalogue of games and simulations that address: Business and Finance, Communication, Management Development, Competitive Teamwork, Performance Management, Cooperative Teamwork, Problem Solving, Reaching Agreement, Time Management and Customer Service. Though this British company can customize a training program, simulation or game, its primary focus is offering a wide range of products in an affordable (under $400 US) price range. Self-actualization and teamwork appear to be the foundation of many of the exercises as are specific KSA’s.

posted November 26, 2002 12:44 PM         

Interactive Experiential Training Strategies

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Background

Since 1960, I have been seriously playing with experiential approaches to adult learning. In the process, I have studied and experimented with more than 40 powerful interactive instructional training strategies.

Since March 21, 1999, I have been designing one new interactive instructional activity every day-including weekends and holidays. I have been using this approach as the most effective experiential technique for learning more about interactive training. Fortunately, I have sold some of these activities to my clients, published some others in my books and newsletter, posted a few in my web site, and stored the reminder in my hard drive for future postmortem. Here's the complete menu of strategies that I have explored.

This list is not a taxonomy, but an informal list of overlapping categories. Items marked with a single asterisk(*) are explored in detail in my book, Interactive Experiential Training. Items marked with a double asterisk(**) are explored in detail in the sequel, Interactive Strategies for Improving Performance. Items marked with a triple asterisk (***) are explored in detail in the recent book, More Interactive Strategies for Improving Performance.

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List of Interactive Experiential Strategies

***Action Learning involves a combination of action and reflection by a team solving complex, strategic problems in a real-world organizational setting. Team members apply existing skills and knowledge and create new skills, knowledge, and insights through continuously reflecting on and questioning the problem definition, the collaborative behavior, and the ensuing results.
***Audio Games are training activities that primarily depend on recorded audio messages (such as audiotape, MP3, or computer recording) to provide the training content, structure the training activity, and collect participants' responses. Most audio games use few or no visuals.
*Board Games borrow structures and supplies from popular recreational games to create highly motivating training events. Board games typically use game cards and dice to encourage individuals and teams to demonstrate their mastery of concepts, principles, skills, and problem-solving strategies.
***The Case Method involves a written account of a real or fictional situation surrounding a problem. Participants work individually and in teams to analyze, discuss, and recommend appropriate solutions and to critique each others' work. In some cases, the facilitator may recount the actual decisions implemented in the real-world situation on which the case was based.
*Cash Games are a special type of simulation game that involves actual cash transactions. However, they are not gambling games. Nor do they focus on accounting procedures or financial management. Instead, they explore interpersonal skills (such as negotiation) and concepts (such as cooperation). Why cash? Because it effectively simulates the real world and brings out natural behaviors and emotions in participants.
**Classification Card Games involve pieces of information (such as facts, concepts, technical terms, definitions, principles, examples, quotations, and questions) printed on cards. These games borrow procedures from traditional games with playing cards and require players to classify and sequence pieces of information from the instructional content.
**Closers are activities conducted near the end of a session. They are used for achieving such purposes as reviewing main points, tying up loose ends, planning application activities, providing feedback, celebrating successful conclusion, and exchanging information for future contacts.
Coaching Activities involve an individual (the coach) supporting the learning or performance improvement of another (the coachee) through interactive questioning and support. The process usually includes the coach and the coachee establishing goals, the coach observing the coachee, offering relevant feedback, suggesting suitable activities, and helping the coachee's professional and personal growth.
Computer Game Shells are a special type of framegame that is presented on a computer screen. The shells permit the loading of new content (usually questions) by the facilitator. The computer acts as a time keeper and score keeper. These games can also be presented to large groups by projecting the display on large screens.
Consensus Decisionmaking Activities involve a list of items (usually 10) to be arranged in order of priority. Participants complete the task individually and then reach consensus in groups. They compare their priority rankings with expert rankings. In the process, they learn more about factors that contribute to the priority value of the items and also factors that influence decision-making and reaching consensus.
Corporate Adventure Learning involves physical activities and challenges (such as sailing, rafting, rappelling, rock climbing, exploring wilderness areas, and walking on rope bridges) in specially-designed indoor or outdoor environments. Participants construct knowledge, skill, and value from their direct experiences through debriefing discussions.
*Creativity Techniques provide a structure that enables participants to solve a problem or to utilize an opportunity in a creative fashion. These techniques are useful not only for learning new skills and knowledge but also for directly improving the performance of a team.
**E-mail Games are conducted through the internet. They may involve the play of electronic versions of interactive training games or specially-designed activities that permit asynchronous communication in which people receive and send messages at different times. Typical e-mail games exploit the ability of internet to ignore geographic distances and involve participants pooling their ideas and polling to select best ones.
Facilitated Activities help teams analyze problems, formulate goals, generate alternative solutions, and make decisions. Usually, a trained facilitator conducts these structured activities to help teams maximize their diverse talents and to arrive at collaborative solutions that are superior to individual solutions.
*Framegames provide templates for instant creation of training games. The generic frameworks are deliberately designed to permit easy replacement of old content with new. You can use framegames to rapidly develop training activities that suit your needs.
Guided Learning Activities provide a special type of on-the-job training. New employees (or new members of a team) observe workplace processes using carefully designed checklists. Later, they perform job-related activities under the guidance of an experienced employee or team member and receive immediate feedback.
**Improv Games are activities adapted from improvisational theater. The actors do not use a script but create the dialogue and action as they perform. When used as an interactive training technique, improv games facilitate the mastery of skills related to such areas as creativity, collaboration, communication, and change.
**Instructional Puzzles challenge the participant's ingenuity and incorporate training content that is to be previewed, reviewed, tested, re-taught, or enriched. Puzzles can be solved by individuals or by teams.
*Interactive Lectures involve participants in the learning process while providing complete control to the instructor. These activities enable a quick and easy conversion of a typical lecture into an interactive experience. Different types of interactive lectures incorporate built-in quizzes, interspersed tasks, teamwork interludes, and participant control of the presentation.
***Interactive Stories are fictional narratives that involve participants in a variety of activities. In one type of interactive story, the facilitator presents the story and discusses its significance in a debrief. In another type, the facilitator pauses at critical junctures in the middle of a story and invites listeners to play the role of a character and make appropriate decisions. In still another type, pariticipants themselves create and share stories that illustrate key concepts, principles, or procedures.
***Item Processing is an interactive strategy in which individuals and teams generate, organize, and sequence items such as ideas, facts, questions, complaints, and suggestions. As a result of the activity, participants create organized lists of items. More importantly, this activity enables participants to construct meaningful categories and sequences from isolated items. This results in deeper understanding and easier recall of the content.
**Jolts lull participants into behaving in a comfortable way and deliver a powerful wake-up call. They force participants to re-examine their assumptions and revise their standard procedures. Jolts typically last for a few minutes but provide enough insights for a lengthy debriefing.
*Magic Tricks incorporate a relevant magic trick as a part of a training session. Magic tricks provide metaphors or analogies for some important element of the training content. The tricks are also used as processes to be analyzed, reconstructed, learned, performed, or coached for training participants in appropriate procedures.
**Matrix Games require participants to occupy boxes in a grid by demonstrating a specific skill or knowledge. The matrixes provide a structure for matching or classifying individual items or organizing and comparing a set of items. The first participant to occupy a given number of boxes in a straight line (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) wins the game.
*Metaphorical Simulation Games (MSGs) reflect real-world processes in an abstract, simplified fashion. MSGs are particularly useful to teach principles related to planning, generating ideas, testing alternatives, making decisions, utilizing resources, and working under time pressure.
***Openers (also known as icebreakers) are activities conducted near the beginning of a session. They are used for achieving such purposes as previewing main points, orienting participants, introducing participants to one another, forming teams, establishing ground rules, setting goals, reducing initial anxieties, and stimulating self-disclosure.
**Paper-and-Pencil Games require players to make their moves by writing or drawing something on paper. A typical game may involve players working on a small piece of paper or a large sheet of. Paper-and-pencil games may incorporate elements of roleplay, simulation, creativity technique, or quiz contest.
*PC Simulations use playing cards to reflect real-world objects and processes. The rules of PC simulations typically encourage participants to discover principles of interpersonal interaction and inductive thinking.
*Read.me Games combine the effective organization of well-written materials with the motivational impact of playful activities. Participants read a handout and play a game that uses team support to encourage recall and transfer of what they read.
**Reflective Teamwork involves participants creating a product related to some aspect of teamwork. Teams then evaluate their characteristics and performance by using the product they created.
***Role Plays involve participants assuming and acting out characters, personalities, and attitudes other than their own. These activities may be tightly or loosely structured and may involve a participant assuming multiple roles or reversed roles.
Scenario Educational Software (SES) is a computer-simulation format developed by Mark Keegan to incorporate key features of discovery learning. A typical SES program transports participants to a specific time and place (such as a health clinic in West Africa or a penitentiary in Rikers Island). The simulated activity presents an optimal challenge, requires participants to make decisions, and provides relevant feedback. Most SES activities last for a significant period of time to maximize the impact of repeated practice.
***Simulation Games help participants experience an event close to the real experience-without experiencing the real event itself. Originally used in war games for training officers and soldiers, this strategy is currently used in business games for teaching complex concepts. Most simulations are based on models of reality. Computers are frequently used to translate complex models in such areas as space travel and urban planning into graphic representations.
Structured Group Discussions use a self-contained instructional format designed for helping team members learn together. The activity is facilitated by a mediated system (such as an audio tape, a videotape, or a computer) that presents information, specifies a discussion topic, imposes time limits, and provides feedback in the form of model responses and checklists.
*Structured Sharing represents a special type of framegame that facilitates mutual learning and teaching among the participants. Typical structured sharing activities create a context for a dialogue among participants based on their experiences, knowledge, and opinions.
***Telephone Games use telephones and answering machines. They may involve the play of interactive training games over long distances. Typical telephone games may involve elements of role-play and virtual teamwork.
Television Games borrow the structure of popular TV game shows to present the instructional content and to encourage participants to practice skills. They involve selected contestants and the "studio audience" who participate and learn vicariously. TV Games can be broadcast for distance learning , made available on videotapes, or presented live by using computer game shells and graphics.
Thought Experiments are internal role plays that involve guided visualization. Individual participants may mentally rehearse new patterns of behavior, ask Eleanor Roosevelt for advice, or hold a dialogue with their alter ego. These activities result in the learning of new knowledge and insights.
**Training Devices involve physical activities performed on electrical and mechanical pieces of equipment. Participants solve a problem or meet a challenge with the device and relate the process to their workplace activities.
***Video Vitamins, based on a format developed by Bill Matthews, enhance the instructional value of training videos. In a typical video vitamin, participants watch a videotape and then play one or more games that help review and apply the new concepts and skills.
Wall Games, based on a format developed by Steve Sugar, typically involve posters mounted on a wall (or on an easel) that require participants to write or draw. A typical wall game may present a vertical version of a board game, a matrix game, or an instructional puzzle. Participants may play these games individually or in teams.
Web Games are interactive activities presented on the world wide web. A variety of games and simulations can be played on the web either by individuals or by teams. Some web-based games permit several people to interact with one another at the same time in chat rooms. Others require "asynchronous" interaction in which the exchange of information among participants are delayed by minutes, hours, or days.
WebQuests are based on a format developed by Bernie Dodge and Tom March at the San Diego State University. They feature a special type of inquiry learning in which participants collect information from the Web. WebQuests focus on using the information rather than merely retrieving it. A typical WebQuest requires participants to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the information from the Web.

website: www.thiagi.com/article-interactive.html

Next site on Role Playing is a discussion moderated by Albert Ip that offers analysis by serveral authors.
www.//fets.ieee.org/periodical/vol_2_2001/discuss_summary_feb2001.html

Last web site: an article titled "Teaching Versus Facilitating in Leadership Development: Trends in Business" by Joseph Cutrin, demonstates the different types and ways to train leaders.
http://www.fhsu.edu/cids/jole/issues/01-01/CurtinFinal.pdf

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posted November 26, 2002 07:27 PM            

http://www.thiagi.com/pfp/Generic/august2002.html#Debriefing
ARTFUL CLOSER
This activity begins with reflection, proceeds through nonverbal communication, and ends in a discussion. You can use ARTFUL CLOSER to debrief participants after an experiential activity. You may also use it as the final activity at the end of a workshop. You may even use it as an opening ice-breaker by asking participants to think about common personal experiences. For example, I began a recent session on presentation skills by asking participants to process their experiences with the most inspiring speech they had ever heard.
Purpose:To reflect on a common experience and share insights with each other.

http://www.thiagi.com/game-easy.html
EASY MONEY
You have to take a risk and trust your team members. In EASY MONEY, the team makes a profit if its members trust each other.
Purpose:To explore trust among team members and its impact on team profits.
Learning Topics
Skills: Planning, predicting, decision making with incomplete information.
Concepts: Trust, ambiguity, decision making.
Contrasts: Private vs public decisions, advising vs deciding, personal vs team benefits, quantitative vs intuitive decision making.

http://www.thiagi.com/game-timewasters.html
Time Wasters
Many of us go through life in a mindless fashion, wasting valuable time. This game encourages you to discover the factors that contribute to wasted time in the workplace. It also helps you to figure out which time wasters you share with the others and which ones are unique to you.
Purpose:To identify major time wasters in the workplace and arrange them in order of their impact.

http://www.thiagi.com/pfp/Generic/june2001.html#metaphoricalSimulationGame

TRASH: A Goal-Setting Simulation

Specifying performance goals is an essential element of effective management. For example, the success of annual performance reviews depends on the statement of goals for the employee. Several elaborate and time-consuming simulation games incorporate goal-setting activities. In contrast, this light-hearted version uses everyday materials to focus on important aspects of specifying performance goals.
This simulation game consists of six similar rounds of activity, each involving a different participant. A mini debriefing discussion is undertaken immediately after each round to identify the emotional impact of the type of goal statement used during the round and to relate the experience with workplace events. The final activity requires participants to apply their insights to the specification of work-related performance goals.
PURPOSE:To specify work-related performance goals at the right level of challenge, using the right choice of language.

posted November 27, 2002 08:09 PM            

finace simulation

international

training

posted December 01, 2002 05:04 PM            

http://www.forio.com/lead.htm

The 1st site that I found was interesting because it involves a topic that is difficult to train on, leadership. It measures four leadership capabilities Stretching, Empowering, Coaching and sharing, over a six month period. Your project over the six months is developing a digital camera for a PDA. Your success is measured according to the project's cost, your efficiency in meeting team goals, your team's attitude during the project, and your ability to complete personal tasks.
http://www.forio.com/bandb.htm **5-Day Trial Available

We have been talking about training on corporate strategy, this game takes you through the product life cycle and how it affects corporate strategy. Are you going to be a market leader or a price leader? New producers tend to enter the market. But eventually the market saturates and sales fall, often just as capacity is growing the most rapidly.
Players take the role of top management of B & B Enterprises, a fictitious firm based on a variety of real cases. The game begins as a new product is launched. Players are responsible for marketing, pricing, and capacity expansion decisions to maximize their cumulative profit over the next 40 quarters. The potential market is large, but as in real life key attributes of the market, including its size and price elasticity, consumer responsiveness to word of mouth, repurchase behavior, and other customer attributes, are unknown. The player also faces a simulated competitor whose pricing, marketing, and capacity expansion strategies are likewise unknown. The game illustrates fundamental principles of corporate strategy including the learning curve, time delays in capacity expansion, competitive dynamics, and market saturation.
http://www.marketplace-simulation.com/what-is-the-marketplace.html